The corner of Gourrier Ave. and River Road are joining the growing list of campus areas that are getting a face lift.
The University’s UREC program is putting the finishing touches on a $115,000 Challenge Course, according to Adventure Education Coordinator Chris Bullard. The course is located directly behind the Sport and Adventure Complex and is replacing a dynamically belayed course with a statically belayed course.
The new design will allow up to eight people on a single objective at one time, which means up to 24 people can use the course at once. Participants will no longer be belayed to an element and will complete each element by themselves, according to UREC Assistant Director of Marketing Scott Belanger.
Included in the redesign is a dual-sided, 30-foot-high outdoor climbing tower, significantly taller than the 13- and 20-foot-tall sections of the climbing wall in the UREC Student Recreation Center. It’s connected to the other objectives by four lanes of rope between each objective.
With the new design, groups of participants ascend via a cargo net, complete the initiative together and move on to the next initiative without coming back down until all objectives are complete. At the end of the course, a dual zipline will carry participants to the ground.
Participants will not have to conquer the obstacles by themselves, as a certified UREC employee will be on site for safety reasons and to facilitate the main focus of the course — group communication and team building – according to Adventure Education Coordinator Chris Bullard.
Participants will also have a set of “lobster claws” to catch them if they slip, need a quick break or need some assistance with the initiative.
“This design is a much newer style with a lot more to do than the previous course,” Bullard said. “We had 30 groups come out before the old course was retired. With the redesign, we hope to focus more on team building and get more people out to use this course.”
Bullard said the Challenge Course’s new location should not be a problem.
“Although many users have never heard of the Challenge Course, it will be easily visible from River Road,” he said.
The course is available to all students. Users must contact the UREC in order to book the Challenge Course for their group.
Bullard said the course should be completed by the end of this week.
 
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Contact Joshua Bergeon at [email protected]